It's safe to say that most people in this area are oblivious to the number of wineries that are springing up around them. You could drive an hour north, west and south, and two hours east and find more than 30 wineries, with a couple new ones opening every year.
There are two obvious sites to go to see the big picture:
The Association of Maryland Wineries
http://www.marylandwine.com/
The Pennsylvania Winery Association
http://www.pennsylvaniawine.com/
I've added both as permanent links.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Wine beyond my reach
Wonder how I'd sleep any more soundly if I had wine in the morning and coffee at night? I'll have to try that for a week.
In addition to writing about the wineries, winemakers and wines of this region, I'll post various national and international stories I come across about wine. Hey, where else can you get this free all-in-one service.
LONDON (Reuters) - While the global credit crunch has forced many consumers to rein in spending, one Beijing-based billionaire has splashed out a record $500,000 on 27 bottles of red wine, London-based Antique Wine Company said on Saturday.
The anonymous Chinese entrepreneur bought a mix of vintages of Romanee Conti, a Burgundy wine and considered to be among the world's most exclusive with only 450 cases produced each year.
The client bought 12 bottles of Romanee Conti 1978, two bottles of the 1961, 1966, 1996 and 2003 and single bottles of the 1981, 1990, 1992, 1995, 1999, 2001 and 2002.
"It is the highest price that has ever been achieved for a single lot," Managing Director Stephen Williams of the London- based Antique Wine Company told Reuters on Saturday.
"I don't think he has bought this as an investment -- he has bought it to drink," he added. "The fine wine industry is completely immune from the global credit crunch."
The client's biggest previous purchase was 30,000 pounds ($59,880) for a case of 1982 Chateau Petrus.
Williams believes the Romanee Conti sale marks a significant change in Chinese wine buying habits.
"In the past, the Chinese have been drawn to the magnificent but simplistic qualities of the wines from the great chateaux of Bordeaux.
"Now, our leap in sales of Domaine de la Romanee Conti to mainland China this year in particular is indicating a broadening of their fine wine education and appreciation to the more complex wines of Burgundy."
The highest prices paid for fine wines are for extremely special bottles, for example, those that reputedly came out of Thomas Jefferson's cellar.
In his day, wine bottles were not labeled, so Jefferson poured the premium wines he imported in casks from Europe into bottles etched with his initials.
Malcolm Forbes, the late publisher of Forbes' magazine, set a record in December 1985 when he paid 105,000 pounds, then about $162,750, for a 1787 bottle of red wine made by Bordeaux's prestigious Chateau Lafitte.
In 2006 the Antique Wine Company sold the world's most expensive bottle of white wine, a regular-sized bottle of Chateau d'Yquem 1787 for just under $100,000.
I could see Jefferson starting a blog like this back in his day. It would have been a perfect vehicle for a guy who loved drinking and eating as much as debating the issues of the day. Here's a link to information on a book that addresses the wine passions of Jefferson and Ben Franklin.
http://www.thomasjefferson.net/
In addition to writing about the wineries, winemakers and wines of this region, I'll post various national and international stories I come across about wine. Hey, where else can you get this free all-in-one service.
LONDON (Reuters) - While the global credit crunch has forced many consumers to rein in spending, one Beijing-based billionaire has splashed out a record $500,000 on 27 bottles of red wine, London-based Antique Wine Company said on Saturday.
The anonymous Chinese entrepreneur bought a mix of vintages of Romanee Conti, a Burgundy wine and considered to be among the world's most exclusive with only 450 cases produced each year.
The client bought 12 bottles of Romanee Conti 1978, two bottles of the 1961, 1966, 1996 and 2003 and single bottles of the 1981, 1990, 1992, 1995, 1999, 2001 and 2002.
"It is the highest price that has ever been achieved for a single lot," Managing Director Stephen Williams of the London- based Antique Wine Company told Reuters on Saturday.
"I don't think he has bought this as an investment -- he has bought it to drink," he added. "The fine wine industry is completely immune from the global credit crunch."
The client's biggest previous purchase was 30,000 pounds ($59,880) for a case of 1982 Chateau Petrus.
Williams believes the Romanee Conti sale marks a significant change in Chinese wine buying habits.
"In the past, the Chinese have been drawn to the magnificent but simplistic qualities of the wines from the great chateaux of Bordeaux.
"Now, our leap in sales of Domaine de la Romanee Conti to mainland China this year in particular is indicating a broadening of their fine wine education and appreciation to the more complex wines of Burgundy."
The highest prices paid for fine wines are for extremely special bottles, for example, those that reputedly came out of Thomas Jefferson's cellar.
In his day, wine bottles were not labeled, so Jefferson poured the premium wines he imported in casks from Europe into bottles etched with his initials.
Malcolm Forbes, the late publisher of Forbes' magazine, set a record in December 1985 when he paid 105,000 pounds, then about $162,750, for a 1787 bottle of red wine made by Bordeaux's prestigious Chateau Lafitte.
In 2006 the Antique Wine Company sold the world's most expensive bottle of white wine, a regular-sized bottle of Chateau d'Yquem 1787 for just under $100,000.
I could see Jefferson starting a blog like this back in his day. It would have been a perfect vehicle for a guy who loved drinking and eating as much as debating the issues of the day. Here's a link to information on a book that addresses the wine passions of Jefferson and Ben Franklin.
http://www.thomasjefferson.net/
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Time to roll
So why are you here? Hopefully to join me on my journey toward learning more about everything related to wine, from preparing the soil to growing the grapes to bottling and storage, and all that surrounds this equal mix of science and passion. I'd like to do that not only with my opinions and links to stories I see, but through interviews with those across the country who are involved in some form or fashion with wine. This area of Southcentral and Southeastern Pennsylvania is still in its infancy as a wine region, compared to Europe or Australia or the West Coast. Or even New York. But that makes it perfect as a case study, these more than 30 wineries that are within driving distance, from west of Gettysburg to west of Philly, north to Hershey and south across the Mason-Dixon Line into Maryland. I call it loosely as the 30 along 30; these are pioneers living in a broad area on either side of the Susquehanna River that is known for its fruit and corn and much less for wine. But it's early yet.
One winemaker in the region sees a thread pulled through all of these wineries: "I think Eric Miller at Chaddsford calls this area the Atlantic Uplands, or some such term." he wrote. "We are all more similar than different. Folks from I-76 south to Baltimore. And there are enough of us that will eventually reach a critical mass that determines a wine region with serious wines."
One winemaker in the region sees a thread pulled through all of these wineries: "I think Eric Miller at Chaddsford calls this area the Atlantic Uplands, or some such term." he wrote. "We are all more similar than different. Folks from I-76 south to Baltimore. And there are enough of us that will eventually reach a critical mass that determines a wine region with serious wines."
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